קַרְתָּה
Kartah, a place in Palestine
Definition
Qartah (Kartah) is a proper noun referring to a specific Levitical city within the territory of the tribe of Zebulun. It was one of the cities given to the Levites from the tribe of Zebulun, as detailed in the allotment lists of Joshua 21. The name itself means 'city,' derived from the common Hebrew root for a town or settlement. Its sole biblical mention is in Joshua 21:34, where it is listed among the cities granted to the Merarite clan of Levites.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the Old Testament, in Joshua 21:34. It appears in a specific administrative and religious context: the cataloging of cities assigned by lot to the Levitical families, as commanded by God through Moses. The usage is purely geographical and part of a formal record of tribal inheritances.
Etymology
Qartah is a feminine noun derived from the root קֶרֶת (qereth, H7176), which means 'city.' It is a cognate of the more common word for city, עִיר (ʿîr). The '-ah' ending is a common feminine suffix. The name essentially means 'the City,' likely indicating it was a prominent settlement in its local area.
Semantic Range
While the word itself is a simple place name, its context in Joshua 21 connects it to the important theological theme of God's faithful provision for the Levites, who received no tribal land inheritance. The distribution of cities like Qartah fulfilled God's promise (Joshua 21:45) and ensured the Levites were scattered throughout Israel to teach the law, highlighting God's meticulous care in establishing Israel's worship and community structure.
In the ancient Near East, a city (qereth/qartah) was a walled settlement offering protection and serving as a central hub. For Israel, the assignment of specific cities to the Levites was a unique socio-religious system. It integrated the priestly tribe into the fabric of the nation while preventing them from accumulating secular territorial power, ensuring their focus remained on religious service.
עִיר (ʿîr, H5892) — The standard, more frequent Hebrew word for 'city' or 'town.' קֶרֶת (qereth, H7176) — The root noun meaning 'city,' from which Qartah is derived; it often appears in poetic or compound contexts.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
Full methodology & sources →